Reminder Systems

A recurring theme in time management is that it is better to keep track of
things using a system rather than your memory.

Some examples are systems for capturing project and task
information, commitments, ideas and thoughts, and various documents,
memos, and other paperwork.

This best practice deals with all the
other things that you may need to remember such as appointments,
meetings, time sensitive paperwork, deadlines, etc.

Like all the
other best practices, the key is to establish and consistently use a reminder system
instead of having to rely on your memory alone.

Calendar

A calendar
is a very useful tool to remind you about time specific events such
as appointments, meetings, and deadlines.

It is also very good for
scheduling or blocking out certain times for working on specific
projects/tasks or other activities.

Having said that, the calendar
is not the appropriate place to manage your projects and tasks. Many
people that don’t use a master project and task list use their
calendar to record and manage what they need to do.

For example, Sam
needs to write a memo and call a colleague to find out information
about a proposal; since he is only using his calendar, he makes an
entry “Write Memo” on Monday from 10:00am to 11:00am, and “Call Fred
from Marketing” on Tuesday at 2:00pm.

The problem with using your
calendar to manage your projects and tasks is that when you don’t
finish the task in the time you’ve allotted, or when something else
comes up during that time, you need to remember to move the
unfinished task to some other future date or allocate more time for
it.

If you forget to do this, you will not have any reminder that
the project is not yet complete. In Sam’s case, his 9:00am meeting
ran 20 minutes late and when he finally got to his office he got a
call from an important customer that took another 20 minutes.

He
then started working on his memo, but quickly ran out of time. At 11:00am he
rushed to his next meeting and forgot to make a new appointment to
complete writing his memo.

That is why I recommend using the
master
project list to keep track of everything that you need to get done,
and use your calendar only to schedule time blocks for projects.

If you don’t finish your project on the day you scheduled it, your
master project list will reflect that there is still work required
and you can easily schedule more time for the project at a future
date.

The system works as a failsafe to prevent projects from
falling through the cracks. The Weekly and Daily Planning best
practices will help you setup and make the best use of your
calendaring system and show you how to integrate it with the master
project list.

I recommend using an electronic calendar like
Achieve Planner whenever
possible because it provides the greatest flexibility for adjusting
and updating your schedule as the day and week progresses.

Paper
based calendars also work, but they are more difficult to update when
things change.

Checklists

Checklists are another useful tool to help you remember
important details without having to rethink them each and every time
you perform some task.

Airline pilots make extensive use of
checklists to make sure they’ve covered all the important details
during takeoff and landing, which are the two most complex and
stressful tasks associated with flying.

A well designed checklist
promotes consistent quality irrespective of who is doing the work
and can be used to detect and correct common errors and problems
quickly and effectively.

Cheat Sheets

Cheat sheets are used to help you
remember information you use regularly without having to rely on
your memory alone.

If you find yourself looking up the same
information over and over again, a cheat sheet is a useful tool for
collecting this information in a format that is more accessible and
easier to search.

In a previous job, I moved to a new project that
was using a command line configuration management system to keep
track of files. Some of the commands where straightforward and I
used them frequently enough to remember without having to look them
up.

Others were more specialized and I used them much less often. I
kept having to look them up in the manual every time I had to use
them.

After a while, I created a cheat sheet to summarize these
commands. The cheat sheet was in my desk filing system and took less
than five seconds to find whenever I needed it.

It was organized so
that the commands where easy to find and contained the most common
information. They also had a reference to the manual in case I
wanted more details.

You could use cheat sheets to keep track of
common phone numbers, important dates, or any information that you
use regularly.

Reminder Cards/Notes

Reminder cards are simple notes
that you leave yourself to help you remember something important.

They are
very similar to the
Scratch Pad best practice, but also take
advantage of your physical environment to get your attention.

I
don’t know about you, but back in the old days I hated paying late fees for video rentals.

Almost all of my late fees were simply because I forgot to return a
movie the day it was due. Often I would remember about the videos
when I was already at work, and too late to do anything about them.

The simple system of leaving the videos by the door to the garage
after I finished watching them was enough to remind me to drop them
off the next
morning. There was no need to write something in the scratch pad, or
put something in my calendar.

Reminder cards also work well when you
need to remember to do something or take something before you leave.

Just stick a reminder card on your door and get in the habit of
looking at them before you leave.

Here are some keys to success when using this practice.

Use it consistently - Make it part of your routine.

Limit the number of systems - Limit the number of places
you have to look for reminders. Avoid littering your desk and monitor full
of sticky notes when you can use your calendar or scratch pad
instead. The more places you have to put reminders, the more places
you have to look.

Take advantage of your environment and daily routines - An
exception to the previous key is when you can use your environment
to get your attention without having to think about your system. If
you leave the videos in front of the door, or put a reminder card on
your keyboard, you won’t have to think about the reminder, you’ll
literally run right into it.